FULL MOON TAURUS // GET SENSUAL

Taurus invites us to remember the sensual innocence of being in a body.

This moon says FEEL.  Be here.  Breathe.  Feel your heartbeat.  Be in your body.  FEEL what it means to be a SENSUAL BEING.

Taurus is one of my favorite signs because it's all about sensual, earthly pleasures.  It’s about connecting to your body, to Mama Earth and allowing SENSORY experiences to guide you closer and closer towards what feels good.  

We live in a society that gets numbed out (with technology, social media, trauma, food and booze just to name a few) and so your prompt with this new moon is to GET SENSUAL.

And yes, while sensuality is paramount in your sexuality and the quality of your sexual experiences, I invite you to scale back the intersection of sensuality and sexuality to literally just TUNE INTO YOUR SENSES.  To explore feeling through the portal of your body, with a sense of innocence. 

To feel sunshine on your skin, full breath in your lungs, feeling sensually engaged in this present moment.

That doesn’t mean you can’t get sexy or bring this sense of sensuality into the bedroom, but what I really encourage you to do this moon is to allow yourself to enjoy the simple pleasures of being in your body and to have gratitude towards what your body allows you to experience.

So if you have issues with your body, with confidence, or shame, or issues of perfection … use this moon to practice DROPPING THE STORY ABOUT YOUR BODY and enjoying the experience of BEING IN YOUR BODY.  

If you've been physically, emotionally, spiritually, sensually or sexually numb for awhile (aka suppressing, rejecting or avoiding feeling anywhere in your body or your being) then try these baby steps to begin re-sensitizing.

Start with your breath.  Close your eyes and take three long, deep, big belly inhales.  Inhale to the count of 4.  Hold for 4.  Exhale for 4.  Hold for 4 on the release. 

Try it right now.  Close your eyes and breathe.

How’d it feel?

Do you notice any sensations that are different now that you’ve brought fresh energy into your body?  Any difference in your emotional state, presence, physical body or state of mind? 

Breath is the primary pathway to our senses: it calms the nervous system while heightening our sensual capacity to FEEL.  This is great for activating our Shakti, tuning into our intuition, re-sensitizing, healing trauma and just generally feeling good.

The more we dwell in the realm of sensation (the sensory, sensuous, the physical feeling state) the more we access the right brain.

The more we access the right brain through breath, movement, presence and pleasure, the more we are able to let the judging, logical, linear left side of the brain rest.

The deeper you breathe the better you'll feel and the deeper the breath the MORE you'll feel.

So, the next sensual tip I have for you to tune back into your body is to close your eyes again, and continue the 4 count deep belly breathing, but this time take your fingertips and allow them to caress your skin.  Lightly, allow your touch to travel your skin.  The softer your touch, the greater the sensation.  

Find what feels good.  Allow yourself to bring sensation to the parts of your body you neglect the most.  Your belly, your elbows, your feet.  

We are a touch starved society and unfortunately so many of us rely on touch from external sources.  Let yourself re-establish a connection with your own touch this moon.

So let your fingertips graze your skin with innocence and ease.  

This practice is a great gateway to generating greater awareness, deeper sensation, increased pleasure and yes, self-love (even if you struggle with it) towards your body.

After you’ve explored tuning into your own body and finding what feels good, have some fun with the sensual energy of this moon to help you further break down the barriers that keep you from the EARTHLY SENSUAL DELIGHTS of your body and enjoying life and all of its sensuality.  One of the best ways to practice getting sensual is to simply spend time in nature.

This weekend and into the next few weeks, use this time to tune in and prioritize the simple and natural things that bring you pleasure and joy.  Witness the seasonal shifts by getting outside and moving your body.

So many people have adversions to incorporating "pleasure" or "sensuality" into their lives because it feels like just another obligation, but all you really have to do is give yourself permission to BREATHE + MOVE YOUR BODY + FEEL (aka consciously use your senses as you go about your day). 

A few of my fav ways to stay sensual are as simple as sitting in my backyard without any agenda for 10 minutes a day or taking my dogs for a walk in the big park by my house.  For me, the simple acts of being outside reconnect me to my sensual awareness.

This moon, use your senses, let your body be the doorway and allow nature to help guide you towards simple and innocent sensual pleasures.  

Sit under the stars, walk in the cool morning air, take a bath, walk barefoot on the grass, watch the leaves rustle through the trees, sit outside and watch the sun set or the moon rise.

Getting sensual is a great way to heal body and self based shame.  The more permission we give ourselves to FEEL, the more permission we give ourselves to HEAL. The more deeply we can heal over time, the more deeply we can show up from a state of presence and enjoy the simple and profound pleasures of life, deprived from an innate appreciation for being alive and living in connection to the body we call home.

For more tangible tools, make sure to download my Sensual Self Care Guide and join the FR FB Group.

YOU DESERVE TO FEEL GOOD, so allow yourself to connect with nature and practice activating your senses so you can ENJOY being a sensory based being.

What will you do this weekend to tune into Taurus and get sensual???  Let me know in the comments below!

Sensually,

Ashly

DEEP PAIN + FIERCE COMPASSION // LIBRA NEW MOON

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how big this moon feels.  Anger, overwhelm, anxiety, pain, shame ... anything that's been buried under the surface is bubbling up to be witnessed.

Libra is about justice. Rooting into what matters.  Libra wants to know where you stand so you can take a stand.  Scorpio asks us to bring our awareness to our inner landscape and to reclaim the taboo or secretive parts of ourselves that we’ve sent into exile (what we see happening with women rising and sharing our collective outpouring of #METOO is a perfect example of this).

Seasonally, in the Northern Hemisphere we are moving into darkness while in the Southern Hemisphere, things are bursting into bloom.  Wherever you find yourself in the world, we can all relate to the seasons of change and transition.

It’s commonly known that the natives and ancients lived by cycles and seasons, that they revered the wisdom found in each phase of birth, life, death and re-birth ... What is less known is that the cycle of birth was actually revered for beginning in death.  

This is gorgeously mirrored in the feminine archetype of the triple goddess, the Maiden - Mother - Crone.  The three aspects are not actually experienced as separate entities of feminine life cycles or experience, they are all seen as interlinked, one is always upon the wisdom of the other.  The Maiden grows into the Mother, and the Mother grows into the wisdom of the old Crone, and the Crone dies to again, be reborn as the Maiden.

Instead of death being seen as the Crones final destination - it's seen as what actually provides the fertile possibility for her rebirth.  In this way, the knowledge from each cycle was carried over.  Literal or symbolic death was not to be feared, it was to be revered.

"The goddess was seen as manifest in the three light phases of the moon as a trinity of growth, fruition and decay, reflecting the transient cycles of the seasons and of life. The un-manifest Goddess was the dark phase of the moon, the womb, the continuous source of all life. Later depictions of the moon goddess showed her as a trinity rather than in four fold aspect not because the dark aspect was unknown, but because she was hidden to the human eye like the dark phase of the moon. She was the darkness of the un-manifest, the source of life and potential and was the pure consciousness which lay behind the trinity of light. {Her darkness was the essence of the whole cycle} as the light phases could not be perceived except in relationship to the darkness." Miranda Grey from Red Moon

This is where we find ourselves now.  In the Fruitful Darkness of the un-manifest.  The place where pure potential lives. 

Old structures are falling away.  We see it in ourselves, we see it in others, we see it in our society.  We are in a great time of Feminine Transformation, and this month we're accompanied by Scorpio, not coincidentally, a sign of transformation.

It’s said that this astrological sign goes through life stages, that it starts out as a scorpion, rises into a serpent and then eventually evolves into the Phoenix, the mythological creature that in Greek Mythology is a long-lived bird that would cyclically die and emerge reborn from the transformative fire of it’s own ashes.

If we look at the Feminine - this is where we find her - beginning to re-emerge, seared from the heat of own flames.

YES, there is a collective feminine fury that needs to be felt and expressed so it may be released.  But it's also a collective time to channel that anger, pain and energy into something: to alchemize this pain into power so that we can rise into something new.

"When men imagine a female uprising, they imagine a world in which women rule men as men have ruled women.” Sally Kempton

This is what I wonder about.  It's what I dream about daily ... what would the world be like with sexually liberated women?  How would we run the world?  What would be the impact of the full embodiment of our Feminine Power?

Because it's true, women are warriors.  We are fierce.  And we've been denied our sovereignty and robbed of our Feminine Power for so long that (now with the Patriarchy threatening harder than ever to maintain power) we're ready to draw our swords.  We are ready for our justice - we demand it - and we won't back down.

But this moon isn’t about swords. It's about justice and morality.  Specifically Feminine Morality.  We can't fight the way we've been fought with.  We've so clearly seen the ways that don't work - and now - it's our sacred work to find the ways that do.

This moon says go inside.  Start with yourself.  It isn’t about anyone outside of you, it isn’t about what anyone has done “to you” … it’s about you and what you choose to do because of what you've been through.

“Growth doesn't mean happy all the time. Happy is not growth. Life is balance, even pain sometimes is fine.  What happened has only to do with what we do from now on, to go forward."

And this is the question this moon begs of us: what do we do now, to move forward?

The biggest way to move forward personally and collectively is to heal our own wounds and so (as my best friend says) we can stop throwing them at others.

Whether you're a man, woman or any beautifully unique identification in between, what are the wounds or taboos within you that need to be tended to?  Use this moon to bring your tenderness to them.

If you need to feel the charge or process the pain USE THIS MOON TO DO THAT.  If you need to take action to heal, find the courage to act or you need to breakthrough the shame / pain / silence that's been weighing you down, USE THIS MOON TO DO THAT. 

I was at a live event last weekend, where I was approached by others who work with Feminine Empowerment and Sexuality about having a panel on Healthy Sexuality.  I agreed that it could be beneficial to give people an outlet, within a safe community space, to share what was real for them.  But the topic was immediately steered towards women.  Towards women's pain.  Towards women's trauma. 

I mentioned, we need to make sure to include the men.  I mentioned cycles of abuse and one of the women jumped down my throat.  She proceeded to tell me that anyone abused becoming an abuser was perpetuating just another taboo, that it wasn't true, and that we shouldn't "give men excuses" any more. 

I agree with that.  People must be held responsible for their actions.  100%.

But men are in great pain too.  Men face abuse too.  Men are shamed too.  

Cycles of abuse are perpetuated by societies standards and the lack of tools to learn, grow and heal our wounds with awareness.  And the cycles of abuse aren’t just sexual.   They are social, emotional, psychological, intergenerational.

I believe there (sadly) isn’t a woman alive who hasn’t experienced pain, abuse or discomfort at some point of her life because of her gender or sexuality.

Whether it’s been sexual abuse, rape, cat calling, harassment, getting groped or shamed by men, I agree, it’s time for women to break the shame by speaking of it and it’s time for men to realize and admit the prevalence and significance of it.

I obviously care deeply for the embodiment and expression of Healthy Sexuality.  It's the basis of my business, and arming women with the tools to release any pain, trauma or shame so that women can rise is my mission.  But we are in this together.  And if we truly want the world of JUSTICE and EQUALITY that we speak of, we have to come to the table together, and be able to talk about these things together without the charge.

We have to be able to have conversations together and we have to be able to heal our own wounds so that we can come to the table at all.  

I know that we have a lot to fight for.  I know that we are fighting thousands of years of Feminine pain and suppression.  I know we are still under threat.  I know our rights are still being affected in the States.  I know there are those who seek to keep us buried in shame and silence.  I KNOW.

But if we want the world that we all say we want, we have to have the courage to heal in order to root into our true Feminine Power and move forward from *this place* of inner strength and compassion.

This is what the New Moon calls on us for.

To root in.  To distill down.  To have patience.  

To be quiet.  To reflect.  To create space.  To have FIERCE COMPASSION for yourself and for others. To remember that healing is not an overnight process and that transformation takes time.

When we can apply Scorpio’s wisdom of death and rebirth to our lives, instead of getting stuck in the fear or pain, we are able to understand it as a fertile place of transformation how we learn to evolve and to stop disowning the imperfect / wounded / shameful parts of ourselves.  Here are some guide posts + questions for you this Libra New Moon:

• If you've healed your own wounds, it's time for you to alchemize into action.  We need you to speak up and take action for those who are still in the process of healing their wounds and aren't in a place to do so yet.  Use your voice, speak about the injustices, share your stories, keep on keepin' on ... and just incase you missed it the first time, WE NEED YOU, thank you, we love you.
   
• If you haven't healed your wounds, if you're still carrying a charge of pain, shame or blame, how can you take action, even if it's a baby step, towards healing?  Who can you reach out to?  What can you do to release what’s no longer (or never was) yours to carry?  What can you do to let go?  What's one thing can you do to re-claim your worth and your power?
   
• If it helps, tune into: how you choose to access your Feminine Power / how you choose to honor your Feminine Power / how you choose to express your Feminine Power / how you choose to fight for your Feminine Power / how you choose to take a stand for the Feminine.
   
• When it comes to Feminine Transformation, Healing the Feminine or Empowering Women, what's one cause you want to dedicate taking action towards?  Are you Pro-Choice and angry about the recent changes to reproductive rights in the States?  Are you a parent dedicated to changing the paradigm by teaching the next generation what it means to be equal and kind?  Are you an activist that wants to bring your voice to a cause you care about?  Are you a writer / healer / teacher / speaker / artist / human with life experience that can help others heal?
   
• What does Feminine Morality Mean to you?

The point of re-birth and transformation isn't to leave behind your past - it's to integrate it.  Because the shame and shadows we carry aren't to be forgotten, they are to be carried as sacred seeds of wisdom into the next cycle.

They are the evolutionary agents that allow us to tend to the seeds of change that are ready to take root - and the Fruitful Darkness of this moon is where we are afforded the opportunity to consciously root down so we can consciously rise up. 

I know it takes courage.  I know it takes heart.  I know it takes vulnerability.  I know it takes trust.  I know it hurts.  I know it's uncomfortable.  I know, you've come so far.  No doubt, in your own way, you've been through hell and back.  Celebrate yourself for that.  Give yourself some credit.  In light of it all, use this moon to tune into what really matters to you + to tend to your tenderness + to bring awareness towards what's ready to take root in you.

Tend to your embers + OM DUM DURGAYAI NAMAHA,

Ashly

FULL MOON ARIES // FUEL YOUR FIRE

Aries calls us to rise into the warriors that we are. Pluto pulls us into the underworld.

The Harvest Moon calls for release, to pay attention to your triggers and the reactions that result from them.  To witness what you’ve reaped and sowed.  To see your triggers and witness where your pain is buried.  To BRAVELY ENTER INTO THE DARKNESS within ourselves and our society.  

As we enter into Darkness of the season here in the Northern Hemisphere, the Moon asks you to let go of what you don’t need.  Pluto asks us to look at our unconscious patterns and pulls us deep into the darkness.

Together they plunge us past our conscious logic and pull us into the wet, cold, roots and patterns of the subconscious terrain that either sustains us or restricts us.  

To dive this deep requires deep FEELING.  Most people want to avoid it, but as Rumi pointed out so long ago, the cure fore the pain is in the pain.

“If you don’t let it out, the grief becomes a scream trapped inside your soul, a constant cry in the dark, a sob you can never release.  So scream, shout, cry, the way the sky does with thunder and lightning and rain … for it knows it’s is being cleansed, it knows that it’s storm is the only way to release the pain.” Nikita Gill

So many have felt an intensity in their bodies, more than just the current events, the collective energy is HEAVY.  This can’t be ignored or numbed out.  It has to be witnessed released.

This Moon says it must be felt and acknowledged so it can be channeled into something greater.  Alchemized into action.

So what’s pulling at you on a personal level and what’s triggering you on a collective level?

These weights and triggers provide the path to awareness —> release —> action.

Basically: Feel what you feel and then let it FUEL YOU.

If you are willing to root through the discomfort, you’ll be able to channel your pain into power / your overwhelm into action.

ARIES is a warrior sign rooted in the element of fire.  Aries can be explosive, impulsive, impatient and quick to anger.  It’s also known for it’s bravery and ability to act fast.  Because Aries is fueled by it’s inner fire, it carries the element’s traits and it knows that fire is the fastest path to transformation.

Many of us feel depleted, sorrowful and quite frankly, burned out by the collective pain of current events.   So much pain / trauma / upset can shut down our nervous systems.  Make us feel catatonic.  Overwhelmed.  Anxious.  Angry.  Fearful. 

Honestly, with this astrology, there will likely be more impulsive anger and upset.  

But this Moon says, use it to stoke your sparks.  Tend to your embers.  Get down to the root of what you no longer need and let it be what you feed to the fire.

Okay … but HOW do you do that?  

Quite frankly, FEEL WHAT YOU FEEL AND THEN USE THAT AS FUEL FOR YOUR FIRE.

I know feeling can be overwhelming, so you’ve got to move it.  Breath of Fire is an amazing tool for meeting an elevated emotional charge and moving it through your nervous system + brownie points for you this moon if you do an actual fire ceremony and Breath of Fire to move through this moon.  Click here for access to the FR FB Group to learn how + join me.

Get out some paper, and stream of consciousness writing, without judgement, free write what you feel.  Let it be blunt and let it be real.  Curse, cry, cringe.  LET IT OUT. 

Give yourself 5 minutes (time limitation encourages freedom of truth to be expressed).

Then, when you’ve finished, sit for a moment and let yourself feel what it feels like to recognize what you’ve held in and what is no longer yours to carry.  

Then, choose ONE WORD that is going to nourish you to take BRAVE ACTION in your life and in the world. 

Once you have your word, take your paper, and let that baby burn.  Saying any prayers of release as you do so and after your paper has turned to ash, AFFIRM out loud from the present tense of I AM / I HAVE.

I AM

I HAVE

Think of one way to take action on your affirmation.  Use the energy of this moon to take that action, get the wheels in motion and with deep love for self, say YES to what’s burning within you.

So what seeds are you sowing? What world do you want to live in?  What do you have to let go of to rise into who you’re meant to be?

Let this moon to lead you towards that truth.  

Let this moon lighten you up.

Let this moon light your fire.

We’re all in this together + I want to hear from you.  What’s real for you?  What are you releasing?  What brave action is calling you from the fire of your heart?

With the collective prayer together we rise,

Ashly

MOON CUPS // WHY YOU SHOULD GET BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS

I made the switch to Moon Cups about 8 years ago, because all of a sudden, tampons gave me intense pain. It was out of the blue (err, red I guess?) and there wasn’t a physical “reason” for it, other than my body just suddenly said NO.

I tried for 3 months, and it didn’t matter how heavy my period was, every time I tried to insert a tampon, my body revolted and rejected it. I had already been using organic brands with minimal environmental impact (did you know that tampons and pads will contribute to over 62,000 pounds of waste per woman throughout the course of her life?) but my body made it clear that she simply wouldn't tolerate them anymore and so I had to find another option.

Luckily, at this time, Diva Cups had already come out, so I bought one.  I was still pretty disconnected from my body back then and I remember the first time I used it I had the distinct revelation "oh wow, I'm actually touching my blood, how do I NEVER touch my own blood???"

I had used tampons since I was 13, and while there was the monthly use of "feminine products" and the occasional clean up, I had never had any conscious interaction with my blood.  

Truthfully, I had only recently realized the impact of my cycle on my life and despite the level of awareness that was just being planted in terms of my relationship with myself as a woman, I didn't love the cup because it magically led me to love my womb or go gang busters over my blood (that took another good couple of years) ... I loved the cup just because it meant I didn't have to use tampons anymore.

I loved that I didn't have to run out to buy (aka waste my money on) "feminine products" and I loved that I didn't have to deal with the pain or discomfort they were causing.  It felt empowering to not only be acknowledging and interacting with my blood, but to also no longer feel like I had to rely on products that inherently (and ironically) disempower and disconnect women from their bodies.

OKAY ... BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BLOOD?

Yes, you'll get blood on your hands.  Yes, it might be messy at first.  But I'm pretty sure that once you give it a legitimate try, you'll never look back ... and, on an additional, loving but I feel necessary note before I continue, if you love tampons, or you're not ready to make the switch, make sure they are from an organic company (please feel empowered to do what's right for you!) but if you're wondering why you should switch or what the benefits are, here's the rundown.

MAKING THE SWITCH

When you transition to the cup, know that the internal adjustment of the cup takes some experimenting as your body, vaginal canal and blood flow are unique, and it will take some trial and error to discover what feels and works the best for you.  Sometimes you'll bleed through, or bleed around the edges of the cup until you find the right size and internal placement - so it's good to wear an organic cotton (or washable!) pad or period panties like THINX (my favorite!) to avoid bleeding through.

BENEFITS

In addition to saving a ton of money (yay $!) and eliminating environmental pollution from feminine hygiene products (yay, Earth!), you'll develop a closer relationship with yourself as a woman through your body and your blood.

Instead of just inserting a tampon and going absently about your day, you are able to see how much blood there is, the quality of the color and consistency of your blood (which can be helpful in learning more about your cycle and any deficiencies or imbalances) and develop a deeper understanding and sense of reverence for what your body is going through at that time. 

But what most women love about moon cups, regardless of what they think of their blood, is the noticeable reduction of PMS symptoms, cramps, pain and the length and intensity of blood flow.

There's also the added bonuses of a one time investment (they last for years with proper care) and you can put the money that you'd usually spend monthly towards treating yourself with self care instead (yes please!)

CUP VS TAMPON VS FREE BLEED

Your vagina is the most absorbent part of your body and blood flow during menstruation from the release of the uterine lining is FULL OF NUTRIENTS, so allowing those nutrients to penetrate the vaginal walls is important (and if you have any yeast, bacterial vaginosis or pH imbalance, the blood nutrients can help you heal).

These nutrients nourish your vaginal canal which then nourish the nerves and tissues in your pelvic bowl (the blood is so nutrient rich its actually the preferred blood of choice used in Stem Cell Research) and more nutrients to the nerves also means increased vaginal sensation (and who doesn't want that?)!

While Moon Cups are a fantastic alternative (which is why I'm telling you about them!) and they are a really great way to transition from tampons and to reacquaint you with your blood, they do also restrict the blood from naturally nourishing the vaginal canal.

While it's not always realistic, "free bleeding" is definitely the best option to nourish the nerves and tissues, which is why I cannot stress the benefits of THINX or washable pads enough. This is an ideal way to allow your blood to naturally release without a mess (even if it's just while you sleep) and to let your reproductive area come into a truly natural state of balance.

But, if you're not ready to go full on Bloody Mary, let's get back to the benefits of CUPS over TAMPONS!

As  Dr. Felice Gersh explains, “Tampons are absorbent structures – versus a cup, which is a collective device. Removing and inserting tampons too frequently, especially if there is not enough moisture in the vagina, pulls moisture out. Tampons don’t cause vaginal dryness, but may contribute to dryness and irritation if there is not enough moisture present."  This dryness and irritation can create infections or affect lubrication (making sex more unpleasant or uncomfortable) and can also affect your reproductive health.  

Additionally, there is NO REGULATION on the "feminine products" industry and so in addition to tampons cutting off the blood rich nutrients, the cotton used is almost exclusively genetically modified and the "cotton" (or rayon, made from wood chips) contains harmful KNOWN cancer causing chemicals like deodorizers and bleaching agents to keep them nice and white before you stain them nice and red.

Over time, whether you choose the cup or free bleeding, without your vagina having to react to being “plugged up” with irritants,  your body will develop a more natural rhythm, which will lead your body to a better bleed time.

Since using my Moon Cup (and more recently using THINX), the length and intensity of my period has steadily continued to decrease (to the point now, where I hardly even need a cup)!

FINDING THE RIGHT CUP FOR YOU

The things you’ll want to keep in mind when selecting your cup are the size (small or large, whether you have had kids or not, these things factor into how the cup will fit you), what density of silicone will feel comfortable for you (some, like the Diva Cup are thicker and bigger than others), the size of your cervix and shape of your internal vaginal canal (ex: if you know you have a high cervix, the Diva Cup could work well for you, but if your cervix is more medium sized or shallower like mine, it could be uncomfortable) and how long the little piece of plastic is at the end of the cup (the longer the better, it helps pull it out with more ease, especially if it happens to get the suction effect when you begin to bleed less).

If you don’t know anything about your cervix or the nooks and crannies of your internal situation yet - that’s okay - use this as an opportunity to gain awareness!  Do some research online first (there are a lot of product comparisons out there!) and stay open minded as you get to know your body and what she prefers.

HOW?

Okay but ... how do you do it?? 

Pinch, fold, insert, let go (it's in!) pull to remove (it's out!) and voila!

(The instructions on some boxes say to stand and put one leg up, but I prefer not to have to get up and drip blood to put my foot up on the toilet seat, so I insert mine while sitting down, thank you very much)! 

It’ll take some practice to get to know what works for you, but then it’s easy breezy, so stick with it through the learning curve!

As with any feminine hygiene, cleanliness is of upmost importance.  Wash your hands before inserting or emptying your cup, and follow instructions that come with your cup for cleaning.

When I use mine, I only rinse it out once a day (as if I’m on the go, it’s often easier and more sanitary to just dump the blood in the toilet and re-insert it) without having try to worry about dropping it, maneuvering out of the stall or getting to the sink when I'm in a public restroom.

MENSTURAL MAGIC

Because of the magic of menstrual blood (which deserves another article all on its own) I prefer not to “throw it out” - so if I’m at home, I have a blood designated mason jar that I will pour my moon blood into and keep in a special spot in the fridge throughout the course of my bleed.

When I’m finished, I use the blood in ceremonies, dilute it with water to feed my plants or return it as an offering to the Earth.

HAVE YOU MADE THE SWITCH?  OR WANT TO BUT STILL NOT SURE?

Let us know in the comments what your experience has been since switching, or likewise if you are interested but still have questions or reservations, reach out in the comments!

I’m not paid to mention or endorse any of these brands, this is my experience and what has or hasn't worked for me.  I hope it’s helpful for you in your transition into the magical world of Moon Cups and reconnecting with your blood!

Many Happy Moons to You,

Ashly